Most domesticated cats are trained to use litter boxes to eliminate solid and liquid wastes. These litter boxes are sized to hold particulate litter that absorbs moisture and suppresses odors from the cat waste. After multiple uses of the litter box by the cat, the pet owner can manually dump the waste and litter particulate from the litter box for disposal.
Because of the unsanitary environment inside the litter box, some pet owners are reluctant to regularly service these litter boxes. In addition, pet owners who frequently travel cannot service these litter boxes on a regular bases. Therefore, various forms of self-cleaning cat litter boxes have been devised for automatically cleaning litter boxes. Many of these devices incorporate a motor driven rake that sifts through the litter pan to carry or push the litter clumps into a separate waste container. Unfortunately, many of these automatic litter boxes remain difficult to clean and oftentimes require more maintenance than traditional (non-automated) litter boxes. For example, over time litter and waste clumps can attach to the rake tines. If litter clumps remain attached to the rake, the litter will harden and decrease the effectiveness of the rake. Further, the additional clumps attached to the rake tines will increase the weight of the rake thereby increasing the load on the motor. As a result, the motor can be damaged. If the motor is battery operated, battery life can be substantially decreased. In addition, because litter clumps remain attached to the rake, undesirable odors will likely result. In order to thoroughly clean the rake, the rake should be detached from the litter box. This usually requires the use of tools, is dirty and requires considerable amounts of time to disassemble and then reassemble.
In addition, many self-cleaning litter boxes can hold only limited amounts of litter. This is especially true of litter boxes incorporating a motor driven rake that sifts through the litter pan. If the litter level inside the pan is too deep, the rake may be unable to sift through the pan and additional power may be required. As a result, if the motor is battery operated, battery life can be considerably decreased and/or a larger motor may be required. In most instances, providing a larger motor is not an option due to space and cost considerations. Furthermore, many present rake configurations are not effectively able to handle deep litter levels because the rake tines lack sufficient strength. Thus, larger tines have been devised to provide additional strength. However, larger tines result in larger surface areas that contact the caustic litter pan environment. This contact can substantially reduce the usable life of the rake. Because cats desire to dig and bury their waste inside the litter, there is a need to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages in order to provide a deep litter level inside the litter pan.
Finally, many litter boxes, both non-automated and automated, are ineffective in containing litter particulate inside the litter box. When cats enter or exit the litter box, litter particulate is often scattered around the litter box. As a result, the pet owner must manually clean the area around with litter box.